Pictures from the great North

Here are a few of the best of the best pictures from our Ohio trip...as promised!

Thoughts from my trip...

My son and I have just returned from a trip to Northern Ohio to visit my dad's side of the family. It was sometime during this trip that I decided that I am a millionaire. (No, I've not been playing the Ohio lotto!) But I don't mean a millionaire in financial matters...I am a rich woman when it comes to the wealth that has been afforded me by the family the Lord gave me. In terms of a family tree, my roots go deep. To this day, I am 29 and I have a great-grandmother (which means my son has a great-great-grandmother) still living who is going to be 97 this year, Lord willing! Until last year I had all 4 grandparents not just still living but still married. Phenomenal! Knowing and keeping up with cousins, and second cousins, and grand-nieces has helped me feel connected and stay grounded. Our family has seen its share of the devastation that divorce can bring, but we have held together to leave a legacy to each new generation that comes along. I feel a great strength has been passed to me through the character, relationships, and love that my family has provided. I don't know what the future holds for my immediate family, or how close to or far from extended family we will end up. But I know that I, that we, will be deeply and dearly loved...and that there is a group of 40+ people (not to mention Tim's side!) who will be rooting for us and supporting us any way they can.
All this causes me to think about the way Jesus Christ changes lives: how a man in a pick-up truck picked up a hitchhiking soldier one day from the side of the road and made it a point to tell the hitchhiker about Jesus. And how that hitchhiker, under Holy Spirit conviction, prayed the sinner's prayer that day. And how that hitchhiker turned baseball player became a minister of the gospel. And how together with his wife that minister of the gospel of Christ raised a family of 3 children for the honor and glory of God. And those 3 children - one of whom is a minister, one of whom is a minister's wife, and one of who ministers through foster care - each worked to raise their children in a Christian home for God's glory. And now, together with my husband, the baton is ours, to in turn pass along to our children, and so on. But it all started with one man who knew the power of God in his life, and was not afraid to share it. Even with a hitchhiking soldier. It's purely a humbling thing, to think that God has been working His purpose in me since that time. Just think of what a story-weaver God is. I'm so glad to serve a Mighty God who regards His children with love & foresight.
Pictures to follow soon from the trip, I promise!

Little Favorite Things

Today I've been mentally compiling a list of "little favorite things". You know, those things that you find yourself enjoying, even loving, but that aren't big deals like a new car or a job promotion. So, I thought I'd put them in writing for your amusement and enjoyment. My little favorite things list:

1. Soaking wet swimming pool hugs from a kid with blue lips
   
2. That familiar smell of my husband's neck
3. Capri pants, flip-flops, and freshly painted toenails
4. The sound of my son's voice in a whisper
5. The sweaty smell of a baby after a good, long nap
6. Belly buttons
7. A long, hard run - one where your muscles ache but it feels good
   
8. Ringtones that let you know a loved one is calling
9. Gentle rain falling in the night
10. My husband bringing me home dark chocolate from the store, even though he went there to get medicine for himself
11. A cool breeze on my shoulders on a hot summer day
12. Listening to a Sunday sermon by a loud preacher, but hearing God's voice louder still
    

As the song says, these are just a few of of my favorite things. But #6 really got me thinking. How cool are belly buttons? Not just because of the incredibly miraculous part they play in nurturing us prior to birth, but the fact that they stick around. That everyone has one. That most people's are ticklish. They are a forever reminder to us that we were loved by a mother once. That our existence was totally dependent on her for a while. She at least loved us enough to give us life, and most likely went well beyond that. No matter how far we go in life or how independent we become, we were all a parasitically dependent being at one time. As a daughter, that is a humbling thought. As a mother, it is a delightful one.
To trump that, how cool is God that he saw fit to bestow such a blessing on women. Every belly button is a gift given by a mother to another human - through God's design. What a task we women have, not just in passing on belly buttons but in being the portal through which each generation to come will come. God never makes mistakes and always does things in an orderly, purposeful way. He could have easily made our bodies so that our belly buttons disappear shortly after birth. But he didn't. He let us keep them as midsectional reminders of his divine plan.

Open doors

Sometime back I eluded to the possibility that my husband felt a calling to serve the Lord and our country as a military chaplain. Since then many things have transpired and so far the Lord has not closed any doors in our path. This past Sunday night, Tim had the opportunity to give his testimony and share his passion for the ministry he feels the Lord has called him to. To say the least, I was quite proud of him. He also had the privelege of giving the evening's sermon. The church then voted unanimously to endorse him on behalf of the ABA as a candidate for chaplaincy. Even though doors seem to be opening, we are treading each step with care and prayerful consideration. If you care to listen, this is the testimony Tim gave before he preached his sermon.
http://www.faithcabot.org/archive/sermonseries/2008/june/tim%20testimony%20hi.wma